The Origin of Kumbha Mela
Author Kedi Ganapati
✦ Table of Contents ✦
- Kumbh Mela: Pilgrimage by train, Picnic on bike
- The Symbolic Story of Samudra Manthan
- Rahu, the Sudarshan Chakra, and “What Will People Say?”
- Why Did Mohini Distribute the Amrit Instead of Dhanvantari?
- When Amrit Turns Into Poison
- Amrit Is a Symbolic Gem, Not a Magical Drop
- Why All Hard Work Does Not Pay Off
- The Origin of Avatar and Kumbh
- New Mind and Old Mind
- Jupiter, Mrigashira, and the Kumbh Process
Kumbh Mela: Pilgrimage by train, Picnic on bike
Kedi: "In the last 15 days I came to Kumbh Mela twice, first time by train and second time by bike. Has my purpose been fulfilled?"
Ganesh: "What was your purpose?"
Kedi: "I wanted to see the grandeur of Kumbh Mela and wanted to know Naga sadhus by living with them."
Ganesh: "Yes, you saw Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj city and surrounding villages closely by roaming on bike, saw havan yajna in Niranjani Akhada, saw bhajan kirtan in Juna Akhada, and did a royal bath with mahants and Naga sadhus of both akhadas. The biggest thing you understood is that you cannot become a sanyasi; you are a writer who wants to become a teacher and has the possibility of becoming a sage in the future."
Kedi: "Then why do I feel something is incomplete?"
Ganesh: "What seems incomplete?"
Kedi: "I am not able to know the same, but it feels as if something is incomplete; something is still left in Kumbh Mela, which I need to know."
Ganesh: "What is Kumbh Mela?"
Kedi: "The fair in which we are sitting right now – this is Kumbh Mela."
Ganesh: "Anything else?"
Kedi: "Every 12 years Kumbh Mela is held once in Prayagraj, and sadhus do a royal bath. Tents of religious sermons are set up. Sadhus from all over India come to one place and meet each other."
Ganesh: "Anything else?"
Kedi: "This is all I know. I have come only to see the grandeur of Kumbh Mela. Why is Kumbh Mela held? This is what I want to know."
Ganesh: "This very incompleteness is what you are searching for. You should have first known the story of Kumbh Mela, its origin and the reason for its existence."
The Symbolic Story of Samudra Manthan
Kedi: "What is the story of the Kumbh Mela?"
Ganesh: "Will you listen to the symbolic story or its interpretation?"
Kedi: "I want to hear the story."
Ganesh: "This is a symbolic story; don't make the mistake of taking it literally. You've already heard the tale of the churning of the ocean and the emergence of nectar at Jagannath Puri, so I won't repeat it. I'll tell you why the pot containing that nectar is called a Kumbh and what happened to that Kumbh filled with nectar."
Kedi: "Okay."
Ganesh: "During the churning of the ocean, when Dhanvantari emerged from the sea holding the pot of nectar, on the instructions of Ishvar Vishnu, he handed that nectar pot to the enchanting Mohini. There were 108 Ganas, 8 devatas, 27 constellations, 7 planets, the Sun, the Moon, Rahu-Ketu, and others who had come to obtain the nectar. To distract them, Mohini began entertaining them.
Among them was Rahu, who was hungrier for the nectar than for the entertainment. Rahu disguised himself as a god and cunningly reached the nectar. He even enchanted Mohini, snatched the nectar pot from her, and started running away. Ketu was attached to Rahu, and Rahu's motion was fixed, so he kept running in the same gait.
When Lord Vishnu cast the Sudarshan Chakra toward Rahu, Rahu realized that he could neither change his course nor choose a different path. He then threw the pot of nectar toward Ishvar Vishnu, who was seated upon the peak of Mount Meru, so that the nectar would not fall into the hands of any Gana or god pursuing him. But as soon as Ishvar Vishnu smilingly caught the nectar pot in his hands, Rahu understood that in reality, he had not enchanted Mohini; rather, Mohini had enchanted Rahu.
Because Mohini knew that Rahu had the greatest craving for the pot, yet he could neither use it himself nor let anyone else have it nor destroy it — and in the end, he would hand it over to Ishvar Vishnu himself.
That nectar pot contained not only nectar. It contained something even more valuable than nectar — the mind element (man). It is because of that mind element that nectar exists. If the mind element did not exist, no one would need nectar. Ishvar Vishnu incarnates that very mind element on Earth — first into the womb of the Earth, then into the womb of a pregnant woman — so that it may gain various experiences and achievements. The descent of the mind element from Vaikuntha to Earth is symbolised by the drops of nectar falling from the Kumbh; this is what is called Kumbh."
Rahu, the Sudarshan Chakra, and “What Will People Say?”
Kedi: "When Rahu was running away with the nectar of immortality, Lord Vishnu separated his head from his body using the Sudarshan Chakra. Then why did Rahu hand the pot of nectar back to Vishnu himself?"
Ganesh: "What you know as the 'Dharma Chakra' is itself called the Sudarshan Chakra. Through the Sudarshan Chakra, Lord Vishnu awakened Rahu to the truth of his own existence and destroyed the ignorance within his mind. Rahu did not realize that his movement was connected to Ketu. He believed he was moving independently according to his own will, but every movement of Ketu pushed Rahu one step forward, and every movement of Rahu pushed Ketu ahead as well. Even though Rahu and Ketu moved in opposite directions, they were deeply connected and acted as causes of each other's motion. They could not change their direction or destiny.
Rahu also did not wish to give the nectar to anyone else who might desire it. Vishnu himself had no need for the nectar, and therefore the only option left for Rahu was to return the pot back to Vishnu."
Kedi: "It is said that while Rahu was fleeing, four drops of nectar fell in India. What happened to them?"
Ganesh: "The stories of the Kumbh Mela and Samudra Manthan were symbolically created to keep this knowledge immortal through storytelling. No literal drops of nectar ever fell upon the land of India. Rather, during every Kumbh cycle, a new human consciousness descends upon Earth — those are metaphorically referred to as the 'drops of nectar.'"
Kedi: "Why specifically four drops and four places? Why nowhere else?"
Ganesh: "To answer the question, 'What will people say?' some sages and saints created the concept of four Kumbh Melas and declared four natural locations where such gatherings could be organized. In reality, there is only one true Kumbh cycle, which comes once every 12 years when the planet Jupiter transits through the Mrigashira Nakshatra. According to this perspective, the other three Kumbh gatherings are later human-made festivals and not the original Kumbh."
Why Did Mohini Distribute the Amrit Instead of Dhanvantari?
I had never heard this story of the Kumbh Mela before. Discourses were happening daily at the Kumbh Mela, yet I had not heard this tale from the mouth of even a single religious guru. After hearing the story of the Kumbh Mela from Ganesh, many questions related to the story began arising in my mind.
Kedi: "When Dhanvantari emerged with the nectar pot from the churning ocean, why did he give it to Mohini to distribute instead of distributing it himself?"
Ganesh: "Suppose you go to a hotel to eat chicken tikka. The butcher kills the chicken; his clothes are stained with blood; he prepares the chicken tikka; oil and spices splatter on his clothes; he's drenched in sweat; and then he brings the chicken tikka to your table and serves it. In another hotel, the butcher does the killing, the chef does the cooking, and a waiter in a clean uniform does the serving. Which hotel would you prefer to eat chicken tikka in?"
Kedi: "Chicken tikka is expensive; with that money, I'd eat 20 vada pavs."
Ganesh: "A rich man with crores of rupees — where would he go to eat chicken tikka?"
Kedi: "The hotel where the waiter serves the food."
Ganesh: "That's exactly why Mohini was given the task of distributing the nectar instead of Dhanvantari. A specific person has to be appointed for each specific task. When one person has to do everything, he needs to change his uniform for each job. Dhanvantari's clothes were stained with mud because he had jumped into the mud to pull out a person who had fallen into it. Dhanvantari could not change his uniform, so the task of distribution went to someone else. If Dhanvantari had agreed to change his uniform to distribute the nectar, he would have gotten the job. Understand now?"
When Amrit Turns Into Poison
Kedi: "Yes, I understand. But one thing I don't get. Why did Mohini give the nectar pot only to Rahu instead of distributing it to everyone?"
Ganesh: "If you were there and by mistake the nectar pot came into your hands, you would negotiate with everyone — you'd say, 'Whoever feeds me vada pav gets the nectar.' If everyone refused, you'd drink the entire nectar yourself and die from overeating."
Kedi: "How could one die after drinking nectar?"
Ganesh: "Nectar also works in doses. Two drops act as nectar; one drop acts as energy; four drops act as poison."
Amrit Is a Symbolic Gem, Not a Magical Drop
Kedi: "Is Amrit (nectar of immortality) real?"
Ganesh: "The churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan) is a symbolic representation of the principle of karma. Nectar (amrit) is the symbol of supreme knowledge (paramgyan) and self-realisation (atmabodh)."
Kedi: "What is the difference between supreme knowledge and self-realisation?"
Ganesh: "Having sufficient knowledge about any subject in the external world is supreme knowledge (paramgyan), and having sufficient knowledge about any subject in the internal world is self-realisation (atmabodh)."
Kedi: "External world, internal world, sufficient knowledge — I only heard these three words; I didn't understand anything else."
Ganesh: "In school, knowing what food will be in your friend's tiffin, who must have prepared it, how tasty it will be, whether he might share it with you, how much he enjoys eating it, and which other kids in the class are staring at his tiffin just like you — this complete information is called supreme knowledge. Knowing what food is in your own tiffin, who prepared it, how tasty it is, and which kids in the class are staring at your tiffin — this complete information is self-realisation."
Kedi: "Then how can too much supreme knowledge and self-realisation turn into poison?"
Ganesh: "A human being's memory capacity is limited. By nature, humans are more attracted to mostly negative memories. When a person acquires excessive information, he will definitely have more negative information, which will create negative emotions within him, and those negative emotions will act as poison."
Kedi: "Why are you explaining nectar like such a serious teacher?"
Ganesh: "Because it is nectar, not vada pav that anyone can buy for 20 rupees."
Kedi: "Explain again how supreme knowledge turns into poison."
Ganesh: "There is a boy named Kiran in your class; no other boy in the class sits with Kiran to share tiffin. You are new in the class, so you know nothing about Kiran. You see 7-8 modaks in his tiffin and rush to share with him. One boy gives you a piece of information: whoever eats even one bite from Kiran's tiffin, Kiran complains to his elder brother, and the elder brother breaks that person's arms and legs. Now your arms and legs are about to be broken. When you learn that eating 2 modaks will get both your arms and legs broken, the fear that makes you tremble — that is the effect of poison. Even if that information was false, that extra information becomes supreme knowledge for you, and the same supreme knowledge acts like poison for you."
Kedi: "I understood supreme knowledge. How does self-knowledge become poison?"
Ganesh: "Suppose in the next birth a girl becomes your girlfriend. She is aware that you are decent and mischievous, so she loves you. One day she gains excessive awareness and realises that you are not just mischievous but a confirmed womaniser and that you act decent only in front of her, while at other times, for naughty fun, you flirt with other women and even couples. The excessive self-awareness and realisation your girlfriend gains about you and her relationship will work like poison for her. That self-awareness will cause her extreme pain."
Kedi: "I understood excessive awareness and self-realisation, but I didn't understand why you are assuming the girlfriend will be in the next birth — why not in this birth?"
Ganesh: "Do you want a girlfriend or the secret of the Kumbh Mela?"
Kedi: "The secret — what is Kumbh?"
Why All Hard Work Does Not Pay Off
Kedi: "After the nectar pot reached Ishvar Vishnu's hands, did everyone get the nectar?"
Ganesh: "No, not everyone. Only those who had earned the eligibility to receive nectar got it."
Kedi: "Everyone worked hard in the ocean churning — why didn't everyone get nectar?"
Ganesh: "Everyone worked hard, but some Ganas let go when they were supposed to pull and pulled when they were supposed to let go, so their effort was wasted. Someone who wants to become a writer will spend his whole life trying to draw pictures — no matter how hard he works, he can never become a writer; he cannot achieve success or self-realisation (nectar)."
The Origin of Avatar and Kumbh
Ganesh: "When a new human mind from Vaikuntha enters an existing human body on Earth, that descent process is called Kumbh."
Kedi: "New human mind, human body, descent process — I didn't understand anything."
Ganesh: "The mind of every human being on Earth is created in Vaikuntha; for the development of that human mind, it is sent to Earth. The human body is created on Earth, but the mind is not created in that body; the mind has to enter that body — this is called the descent process and in your mother tongue it is called 'Avataran.'"
Kedi: "Was my mind also created in Vaikuntha?"
Ganesh: "Twelve types of minds are created in Vaikuntha. Not just your mind, but the minds of all living beings, humans, and gods are created only in Vaikuntha. That mind is sent to Earth for its development."
Kedi: "What is the connection between Avatar and Kumbh?"
Ganesh: "The real meaning of the word 'Kumbh' is filling an empty pot with a priceless substance. The priceless mind (avatar) descending from Vaikuntha enters the human body on Earth — that's why it is called Kumbh."
Kedi: "When does the descent of Kumbh happen?"
Ganesh: "When the planet Jupiter transits the Mrigashira constellation, contact is established between Earth and Vaikuntha, and the Kumbh process begins."
Kedi: "There are so many people at the ghat right now; do all their bodies lack a mind?"
Ganesh: "All their bodies have a mind."
Kedi: "Then in the Kumbh process, which human body does the new mind descend into?"
Ganesh: "The foetus growing in a pregnant woman's womb is initially without a mind. When the foetus crosses the 3-month period and reaches the first stage of becoming a baby, a new or old mind descends into it."
New Mind and Old Mind
Kedi: "What is a new mind and an old mind?"
Ganesh: "When a new human mind descends from Vaikuntha to Earth for the first time, it is a new mind; no emotions have arisen in it yet. When that same mind enters a human body and experiences emotions, it becomes an old mind. If a human does not attain liberation, after death, his old mind is removed from the body and descends into the foetus of some pregnant woman."
Kedi: "It all went over my head. I didn't understand anything."
Ganesh: "When you were admitted to the first grade in school, you had no information about school in your mind. You didn't even know the name of the school. The state of your mind at that first admission was a new mind. After being admitted, you learnt that after the school prayer, you get pink milk to drink; then you learnt that 7-8 girls in your class didn't drink milk, some girls drank less, and all the boys snatched and drank each other's milk. So, you hovered around the girls asking for their share of milk. Even after drinking 4 glasses, your mind wasn't satisfied. You went to school only for the pink milk. If there had been a first-grade exam, you would have failed and been readmitted to first grade — then the state of your mind would have been an old mind. Now do you understand new mind and old mind?"
Kedi: "Has my mind come to Earth for the first time, or is it ancient?"
Ganesh: "Looking at your curiosity, it feels like you have come to this Earth for the very first time. But looking at your antics, it seems you are old rice after all."
Jupiter, Mrigashira, and the Kumbh Process
Kedi: "Yes, I understand. The Kumbh Mela is going on right now — so is some new human mind from Vaikuntha currently entering the womb of a pregnant woman on Earth?"
Ganesh: "No, right now the Kumbh Mela event is happening; the actual Kumbh process is not taking place. Right now, Jupiter is in the Rohini constellation; in April, Jupiter will transit the Mrigashira constellation, and then the actual Kumbh process will begin."
Kedi: "How many new human minds descend to Earth in the Kumbh process?"
Ganesh: "1000 new minds descend to Earth every day, and this process continues for 40 days straight, meaning in one Kumbh process, 40,000 new human minds descend to Earth."
Note: This content represents a chapter of Kedi Purana, a 64-chapter work authored by Kedi Ganapati. Kedi Purana is a modern Purana of the present and final Kaliyuga.
